Somewhere In Time
by WildflowerWeasley
Summary: Struggling with the unfair expectations of his mother and the cruelty of his uncle, Frank Longbottom seeks comfort from a time traveling stranger.


**A/N:** Written for Sing Me a Rare: The Soundtracks.

Grammarly is my beta, all mistakes are my own. My song is instrumental and while I didn't give my pairing a romantic relationship, I hope you love the friendship they create.

Song Prompt – Somewhere In Time, John Barry - Somewhere In Time

Harry Potter characters are the property of J.K. Rowling and Bloomsbury/Scholastic. No copyright infringement is intended. No profit is being made from this creation.

* * *

1968 (9 years old)

"H-Hello?"

Sitting up in bed, Frank swallowed audibly and scanned his room. It was almost impossible to make out anything but the large shapes of furniture in the darkness but his eyes stared into each corner as he tried to find the source of the sound that woke him. His heart pounded a painful rhythm in his chest and his fingers trembled as he gripped his blanket and pushed it aside. His mind raced, recalling every terrifying story that Uncle Algie had told him, the most recent being about the angry poltergeist living in the attic.

Gathering his courage, he turned to get up from the bed and spoke a little louder, calling out, "is someone there?"

A sniffle! He definitely heard a sniffle...but then, who would be crying in his room? Surely not the poltergeist. As his feet touched the cold floor he slowly stood and lit the oil lamp at his bedside, the small fire inside danced, throwing shadows across the walls and he heard a gasp from behind him. Turning quickly at the sound, his eyes adjusted to the light and he jumped at the sight of a strange girl before him.

"W-who are you? Why are you in my room?!"

Feeling sufficiently helpless, and afraid Frank watched as the crying girl's eyes darted around the room, seemingly only just noticing her surroundings. She stood then feeling around her chest and hips as if looking for something and only relaxed when her hand rested on the pendant resting on her chest.

"I'm so very sorry, could you tell me where I am?"

Her voice was soft, pretty...she was older than him, a teenager maybe, and dressed in muggle clothes. He watched as she looked around the room before turning her gaze on him. He was terrified, no matter how kind she looked. Who was this girl and why was she in his room? She took a step toward him, her eyes wide but stopped immediately when his back hit the bedside table jostling the lamp.

"Neville?" She asked.

Frank shook his head trying to speak through his fear, "I...I'm…"

"Hey, it's okay. I'm not going to hurt you, I...I know you must be terribly confused and afraid of a stranger in your room but I mean you no harm. I'm Hermione, what's your name?"

Relaxing just a bit, he let his shoulders relax and stood taller. The girl, Hermione, smiled reassuringly and he took a breath before answering. Her mouth opened and closed as she stared at him and he noticed the colour in her cheeks slowly drain away. What could she be afraid of?

"Frank...sweetheart, what is your last name?"

"Umm. Longbottom, I'm Frank Longbottom."

Her hand covered her mouth and tears sprang to her eyes once more. She gripped the pendant and whispered to herself as he stood quietly observing. When she turned her attention back to him she took a step forward and fell to her knees before him. Her smile was warm as she reached up, brushing the hair from his forehead and the fear he'd been feeling melted away as if her touch sent it out of his body leaving nothing but comfort behind.

She opened her mouth to speak as she squeezed his shoulder but there, right before his eyes, she began to glow.

"You're leaving…"

She smiled as he reached out to touch her hair and just before she was gone completely he heard her whisper.

"Such a brave boy you are."

* * *

1977 (18 years old)

Frank groaned as he scratched away at the parchment in front of him. He had been spending more and more time in the library as he prepared for his N.E.W.T exams much to the irritation of his friends. They had rolled their eyes at him during dinner and begged him to take a night off. He knew they thought he studied too much but he was determined to do well, knowing what it took to get into the Auror program.

"Working hard?"

Her voice startled him and she giggled as he knocked his inkpot from the table. Cursing under his breath he quickly flicked his wand, cleaning the mess and righting his workspace. This was just what he needed.

"Is there something I can-"

His words cut off abruptly at just who was in front of him and despite his rudeness, she smiled down at him in amusement and his heart began beating heavily in his chest. His eyes followed her movement as she sat in the chair across from him and his voice caught in his throat. She was older, her hair falling in soft curls around her face and while she had a haunted look about her, she looked much happier than the last time he'd seen her.

Since she had first appeared in his room, he had seen her twice more. She seemed to come to him when he needed her most and he had begun to wonder if she was an angel. He'd been eleven the second time, having just fallen from his broom and broke his arm. His mother had been predictably angry, and his uncle had used the incident as an opportunity to criticize his magical ability. After all, a real wizard would have been able to stay on his broom. She had swept the hair from his forehead and wiped away his tears while he cried in her arms.

" Don't listen to him, Frank. You are so brave and strong, and you'll grow up to do amazing things."

The third time she came to him was during his third year at Hogwarts. Boggarts were nasty things, and the creature had unsurprisingly taken the forms of his mother and uncle. The weight of his mother's expectations and the cruel assurances that he would never measure up had proven too much and he withdrew into himself. She found him in an abandoned classroom that night as he took his frustrations out on the furniture. He had expected her to scold him, tell him to pull himself together but she hadn't. She had corrected his form and taught him how to cast stronger, to be more precise. She told him he was strong, brave and courageous...she made him believe it. It was only after he had slid to the floor to catch his breath that he'd noticed the way her dirty clothes hung from her body and the scars, cuts and bruises that littered her skin. He rubbed his thumb under her bruised eye silently asking what happened but she only smiled sadly before leaving him once again.

"Hermione…"

"Hello, Frank."

He was stunned and quickly looked around to make sure they wouldn't be spotted but her tinkling laugh caused him to turn his attention back to her.

"I assure you we're quite alone, Mr Longbottom."

He must have looked confused because she began packing his things while informing him that it was far past curfew.

"What are you doing? Hermione, I need my things, I wasn't finished."

She pulled his bag away from him when he reached for it, a stern look on her face and he sat back in his chair with an annoyed huff.

"What are you doing here?"

She snorted at his petulant tone but leaned forward and took his hand in hers. "You're working too hard."

"I'm trying to pass my N.E. so I can get into Auror training! I need to pass."

"And you will...but Frank, you're missing out on what's important."

"Oh yeah? And what are these important things I'm missing out on?"

"Having fun, getting into mischief...falling in love?"

Pulling away from her, he shook his head and rubbed his eyes. This was bloody ridiculous. He was finally doing something that he wanted to do, not what others thought he should be doing. He was taking a stand on his future and she wanted him to set it aside and hang out with his friends? He released a sigh and dropped his hands to the table only to startle at Hermione's presence beside him rather than across from him.

"Merlin, Hermione! Make a noise..."

"Alright there Mr Auror?"

He scowled at her giggling but was soon chucking with her. She was right, though he hated to admit it. He had been holed up in the library almost every free moment he had and the stress was eating him up.

"So, as I was saying...That Alice Brown seems like a nice girl. She's quite pretty."

Shocked, his head shot up, eyes comically wide as he stared at her. Had she really just said that?

"I-I'm sorry...what?!"

"Frank, honestly! I know you're not that thick, she fancies you! Ask her to Hogsmeade."

He looked away, hoping the dim light in the room would hide the blush now creeping into his cheeks. He was a fool, he knew it was impossible, but his heart belonged to her...to his angel. How could he give it to Alice?

When her hand pressed to his warm cheek and turned his face toward her once more, it took all he had to stay in his seat. The look of understanding in her eyes broke him but the comfort of her magic flowed into him and he couldn't help but lean into her touch.

"Frank," she whispered. "I love you, I do...just not that way. You're an amazing man, but Frank I'm not meant for you."

"Why not…"

She gave him a cheeky smile and dropped her hand to her lap. "Your friends miss you, and while I am so proud of you for your hard work, you need to take time to recharge. Spend time with them and have fun! Go on dates, snog in broom closets! Just...just enjoy these years."

"But...I love you ."

"One day, you're going to laugh as you think back to all of this. But for now, just know that I love you too. I always will."

She leaned in and kissed his cheek and it took everything he had not to take her face in his hands and capture her lips with his. Still enveloped in her magic and the sweet smell of Jasmine he didn't feel her move and when he opened his eyes she was standing before him as she faded away.

"Don't forget what I said Frank Longbottom. Fun, mischief and love. You take that girl on a date!"

He shook his head as he watched her go and wondered if that would be the last time he saw her.

* * *

1981

She appeared during dinner, the first time she had ever come to him in the presence of others. He, his mother, Alice and Neville sat around the table discussing the little boy's latest milestone while eating their dinner when the room was bathed in bright gold light.

He stood immediately and she ran toward him, fear and concern in her eyes. She looked younger somehow, and he was both confused and worried by the dirty, singed clothing that hung from her once again emaciated figure.

"Hermione? What? What's happening? Are you hurt"

"Are you alright?! Frank, what...what's the year? What's the date?!"

She had gripped his arms tightly and his heart began to race at her frantic questioning. Things had been bad, his family had been put into hiding and her sudden appearance only caused his concern to grow. The clearing of a throat drew his attention away from the little witch and he looked toward his mother.

"And just who are you miss, and how did you get past the wards?"

Hermione ignored the older woman much to Augusta's displeasure and once again asked the date.

"It's...it's the thirtieth of October, nineteen eighty-one."

Hermione released a sob and took his face in her hands looking into his wide eyes.

"Listen to me. You're not safe, your family isn't safe. You need to take them and get out of Britain. Please! "

Alice stood then, gathering Neville into her arms and walking toward her husband.

"Frank…who is this?"

Hermione gasped and turned toward Alice, a watery smile coming to her face as she held back tears. She reached out then, placing a hand on Alice's arm and stroking Neville's cheek. Alice stood still, the question still in her eyes and Frank blew out a breath.

"Ali this is Hermione. She's...well, she's sort of like my guardian angel. She's been visiting me since I was nine years old."

Hermione snorted at his explanation but didn't bother to correct him. He watched as she tenderly swept the hair from Neville's forehead and choked out a laugh, obviously holding back tears.

"Hello, love."

Neville giggled and reached for her with a wide, toothy grin on his face but she stepped back and took Frank and Alice's hands in her own. His mother stood behind Alice and Neville, her patience for the situation gone.

"He...You-Know-Who is going to attack the Potters tomorrow night. Peter Pettigrew is a spy and he will betray them, giving their location to him. They will be killed if something isn't done. Now, I am going to give you some information, you need to get this information to Dumbledore and move the Potters tonight. It's the only way…"

"Where are you from, girl?"

Hermione released a heavy sigh and her tired eyes filled with tears once more as she looked into the matriarch's stern eyes. She dug beneath her dirty, damaged shirt and pulled the gold pendant out to show them.

"I'm from nineteen ninety-eight."

Her eyes met his when he dropped her hand and took a step back. She was a time traveller? He recognized the necklace for what it was now and his mind began working quickly, going over each and every encounter.

"You called me Neville...the first time you came to me! You called me...you know my son? In the future?"

Hermione bit her lip and nodded looking between him and the toddler. "Yes. Listen, this information will change everything. I need you to do exactly as I say because where I'm from...it's bad."

"Why should we believe her? Frank...She appears here out of nowhere and says we're in danger and you're just going to believe her?"

"Alice, I know this is strange...I know it's hard to believe but I'm telling the truth and I never know how long I get to stay. It is imperative that you listen to me because if you don't...If you don't, so many innocent people are going to die. At this moment, in my time...we've won the war, but at the cost of so many lives. Lives that can be saved if Dumbledore knows the things that I know now."

"Say no more. Frank, send a Patronus to the Potters and tell them to come here at once. We'll be going to the summer house. The wards there are so strong not even Merlin himself could break them down. Alice, go and pack, we'll leave tonight."

Frank stared at this fierce young woman, so different from the one who had visited before...he took her hand and searched her eyes.

"Hermione, the last time you visited me you were older...older than I am now, even. You looked...well you looked like you'd been through something terrible but you also looked happy."

"Did I? I imagine I had come through the war I just helped finish...I may have been happy by then but I can assure you that I'm not happy now. Someone very important to me died...Frank I can't let him die. I'm willing to sacrifice the happiness you say I found in order to save others."

Hermione nodded to Augusta and followed her to the table where she told the woman everything she knew of Horcruxes, the attack on the Potters and the attack on her son and his wife.

Just as the floo lit green and the Potters, followed by Sirius walked in, Hermione began to fade.

Frank quickly pulled her into a hug whispering promises to do as she asked.

"I suppose I'll be seeing you...just be on the lookout for a bushy-haired first year when you take Nev to the platform, yeah?"

He chuckled and bobbed his head as he watched her disappear for the last time.

* * *

1991

"Hello! I'm Hermione Granger. My mum and dad wanted me to thank you on their behalf for showing me the way onto the platform."

Frank chuckled at the young girl before him and reached out to shake her hand.

"It's so nice to meet you, Miss Granger and it was our pleasure to help you. I'm Frank, this is my wife Alice and this is my son, Neville."

Neville blushed looking down at his feet as he mumbled a nervous "hello" and missed the bright smile Hermione sent him.

"Hi, Neville! I think we're going to be great friends. Would you like to share a compartment with me?"

Frank and Alice watched in amusement as Neville stared at the girl, clearly astonished that she would want to sit with him, much less be friends with him. As much as Frank and Alice had tried to instil confidence within their son, he had always been quite shy. He had found friendship with Harry, who was more like a brother to him but had never gone out of his way to make other friends, preferring to read or work in the garden with his mum.

"Uhhmm...S-sure."

He was rewarded with another bright smile and a suffocating hug that he awkwardly returned. After hugging his parents tightly, Neville turned to Hermione who was waiting for him and Frank smirked as she took his son's hand and led the way toward the train. He watched as Harry caught up with the two and Hermione introduced herself while Neville stood by, apparently still stunned by her attention.

"I think she's just captured our Neville's heart. Look how he's letting her tow him around!"

Frank laughed as Hermione led the boys onto the train and they all leaned out the window to wave goodbye.

"She'll be good for him…"

* * *

2005

"Did I ever tell you that I fancied myself in love with that girl?"

"No!" Alice laughed and Frank joined in as they watched Hermione and Neville glide around the dance floor.

"Yeah...seventh year, I had been so caught up in studying for my N.E. and she came to me while I was in the library. She was older then than she is now, and she told me I was working too hard and to ask you out."

"She did not…"

"She did! I told her that I loved her and when she told me that she wasn't meant for me it nearly broke my heart. She told me that one day I would look back on that moment and laugh...The cheeky witch knew she'd be my daughter in law someday!"

Alice giggled and squeezed his hand watching as her son said something to his bride. Hermione threw her head back laughing loudly before Neville wrapped her in his arms hugging her to his chest.

"She has given us so much, Frank. She was there for you when no one else was...she gave you the confidence to be the man she knew you could be. She guided you to me and then saved us. Saved all of us."

"I know, love. I know."

As the music changed and they began making their way off of the dance floor, Frank walked toward his new daughter in law and took her hand.

"I believe you owe me a dance, dear Hermione."

Her bright laughter filled the air and she followed him back onto the floor, Neville following with her mother.

"Don't get any ideas Mum, I know he's fit but he's mine!"

Frank chuckled at their antics and spun her around the dance floor. She was glowing, her happiness radiating around her and he thought she had never looked more beautiful. She would never know what she meant to him, never know that she held a special place in his heart. She was his first friend, his safe place...his angel from somewhere in time.


End file.
